An intentionally random life

#ThankStitching No. 16 with Victoria Matthewson

Victoria Matthewson

I create embroidered art based on my photographs of the local flora and fauna. I use a needle painting technique with fine silk floss thread. I am grateful every day to have found this passion as the slow repetitive nature of my work can be so very calming. I am also grateful that it gives me a sense of control and focus in my life, I gave up work after the birth of my second child to become a full time stay at home Mum. After a very difficult year, full of health problems, I felt like I needed something that was just for me. I hadn’t picked up my embroidery needle since I was twenty and at drama school, but I remembered how much I enjoyed it and how it helped me to ‘zone out’ during the long hours of rehearsing ‘The Doll House’. It was like a light bulb moment, here was something I could fit around bringing up my children that gave me a sense of achievement when I was struggling to consider myself a successful Mother (I think all Mother’s get that feeling from time to time.).

A post shared by Victoria Matthewson (@vkmatthewson) on May 17, 2016 at 5:00am PDT

#ThankStitching is a project to collect and curate reasons why stitchers worldwide are thankful for their particular needle craft. Look for daily posts in November with hourly posts on Thanksgiving Day.

Related

Posts navigation

I am a hand embroidery artist who embroiders images and text that range from the whimsical, to the unexpected, to the evocative, on a range of playful and vintage-inspired fabrics. The tactile nature of embroidery endlessly fascinates me. I love the texture and feel of fabrics and different stitches, and combine them in ways not only to better render an image, but also to entice the viewer to want to touch the surfaces, as well. Hand embroidering allows me the time to create and relax; there’s nothing so soothing as pulling floss through fabric.